Dolce Con Amore
by Trancy Phantomhive
Summary: A collection of ficlets with different genres centering the pairing: Niou x Marui. Includes side stories for "Vibrato: The Way You Are". Love comes in different shapes and sizes, Niou thought of it as nonsense, but Marui thought otherwise. /Niou x Marui/
1. Accent

**Disclaimer: **_I am not Konomi-sensei, therefore I do not own "The Prince of Tennis" or anything related to this manga, game and anime._

**Author's Note:** _This is just going to be a collection of ficlets for the Niou x Marui pairing. :) Also, I've decided to make a sequel for "Vibrato: The Way You Are" when I finish "To Love a Sack". This one is only a 'side story' for "VTWYA". :D I hope you enjoy reading, and please do review afterwards! ^-^_

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_**"Dolce Con Amore"**_

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_**Accent.**_

The day when Marui Bunta and Niou Masaharu met back in childhood wasn't at all pretty. To the eyes of people around them, those two could never be friends, let alone _best friends_.

Niou constantly played pranks on the poor redhead, causing the said redhead to run and cry to his mother's loving arms. Marui's mother would comfort the child, carry him in her arms securely and glare at the periwinkle-haired trickster. That happened on a daily basis, making Marui's mother to grow tired of acting the daily routines of scolding Niou. So, she came up with a plan and told young Marui Bunta about it.

"You think strawberry's going to come today?" asked one Kirihara Akaya smugly. He grinned deviously, trouble dancing in his emerald orbs, as he walked towards a busy Niou. Glancing above the other child's shoulder, Kirihara questioned in curiosity, "What are you doing?"

Niou stayed quiet for a while, setting up the trap accordingly. He was a perfectionist, despite the prank only lasting for a day, and disorderly irritated him like hell. When he was done, he got up, dusted off any dirt sticking to his clothes and smirked at the confused seaweed-headed boy. "I set up a prank for _dear strawberry_ when he comes today. I don't know why he keeps on coming back, regardless on getting picked on. But I guess that's how he is," Niou replied, a satisfied glint appearing in his eyes as he tend to his trap once more.

"That's cool! How does the trap work?" a voice from behind Niou said. The periwinkle-haired child didn't know who it was, but assumed that it was Kirihara as the boy always tried to change his voice after watching a man did it smoothly.

Niou, who was still smirking, bragged, "Hehe. You sure you wanna know?" When he received an all-too-enthusiastic reply, Niou continued, "It's like the usual trap they set up in forests for animals, you know? The pitfall trap. It's easy to make, especially in this surprisingly deep sandbox. All you have to do is have your victim to step . . . here!" Niou approached a certain spot and poked it with a stick. He smiled dangerously as he look up to meet the other kid's eyes. "Pretty neat, huh, Ba . . . ka . . . ya . . .?" he trailed off, shock slowly taking over his proud expression as his mind registered on who the kid was.

"Yeah; it's pretty neat, Niou-teme," Marui Bunta said in his most tender tone of voice that managed to give the young trickster chills running down his spine. "_But_, no one can trick a tensai like me!" Hatred flared in Marui's beige-coloured eyes as he _attacked _Niou _hard_ by pushing the aforementioned child to the trap set up.

"AHHH!" Niou exclaimed in horror, landing a couple of _inches_ below the surface of the sandbox. He coughed, having unfortunately eaten some sand when he shouted. He glared up at the snickering rufous-haired boy in distaste. "Damn you!" Niou snarled, throwing a handful of sand toward the laughing Marui.

"Mum said to never say bad words, which means you're a bad boy!" Marui continued to laugh, clutching his sides as they started to hurt. He then tried to look intimidating to Niou's eyes as he said, "Never mess with the tensai!" Marui left shortly afterwards, having fulfilled his _'mission' _with a satisfied smile.

Niou, who was angered at having the tables turned around, practically jumped quickly out of his _pitfall trap_ just to come face-to-face with Kirihara.

An innocent Kirihara tilted his head to one side and asked, "How did it go?"

"How did it go? How did it go! _Bakaya, I'm going to show you how it went!_" with that said, Niou chased Kirihara around the playground to relieve his temper. He _never_ wanted to mess with that so-called _strawberry-haired tensai_ after scarring his pride and reputation as the trickster.

Oh, but he'd get his revenge eventually, wouldn't he?


	2. Acciaccatura

**Response to reviews: **_sugarkitt (Maybe this "other fic" is this next ficlet, hm? xD But I'll consider making another "Trick or Treat Pair" ficcie. :DD); lokica (Tensai-Marui is the best! Don't you just wanna hug him when he was little? 8D); frejahimitsu (Bunbun's too cute and cuddly not to love, ne? *ties Niou up as a present for him*)._**  
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**Author's Note: **_Hoi, hoi! Sorry for the wait! xD Here's the next ficlet~! Please enjoy! ^-^ *exits ninja-style*

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_**"Dolce Con Amore"**_

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**_Acciaccatura._**

___Pop._ The light-green bubble-gum on Marui's mouth pops as it is blown with too much air. He chews on the gum, getting it ready for another explosion once more.

Niou can't help but feel . . . _distracted_ whenever Marui does it out of pure habit. Just looking at how the redhead savours the sweet taste in his mouth gives Niou chills running down his spine. Why though? Is it because it looks _awfully sexy_ on him? Damn Marui.

The volley-specialist leans on the wall behind him, staring up to the ceiling of Niou's bedroom, exposing his fine throat. He sighs in boredom, already finished with three-quarters of his homework in Geography. He doesn't like stalling for time, but _it's just boring_; he doesn't have the motivation to keep him going.

Meanwhile, Niou slightly tenses. Is Marui doing all of these unconsciously, or is he testing his restraint against himself? The redhead's luscious lips are _so_ inviting that he wants to cover it with his own. _And that throat_, God help stop him from attempting something unforgivable.

"You know," Marui starts with an indication of his hand, "I'm getting extremely hungry. You think there's anything _safe_ to eat in _your_ house?"

Niou raises an eyebrow in mild surprise. Does he really think that the food in the Niou Residence is _poisonous_? "Of course there is, strawberry," he responds with a smirk. "What? You reckon we eat nuclear bombs and _raw_ things? We're not animals," Niou adds with a huff, acting a little bit offended when he isn't really.

"There is _that_," Marui answers uncertainly. Is he doubting too much? But this is Niou, after all! What if they _do_ eat those . . . _things_ that Niou had mentioned? Hell, he'll never visit his boyfriend's house ever again.

Niou mumbles something under his breath. Wanting to know what is going on with his boyfriend, Marui leans closer, both sitting on the periwinkle-haired male's bed. He crawls slowly like how spies or ninjas do. When he gets close enough, Marui asks beside Niou's ear, "Hey, what are you mumbling 'bout? Where's the food? Don't you think it's rude to not offer any snacks and refreshment to a guest?"

As if triggering Niou's restraint, he almost pounced on the redhead, catching him off-guard. Oh, he can no longer take it. Why must his lover be so _tempting_? "What the heck are you d—" Marui is cut off when Niou's mouth covers his, completely devouring it.

The kiss is passionate, _heated_ and very much crushing. Marui automatically responds to Niou's violent kisses after a while, setting both of them properly on the bed.

Marui can't help but note that Niou is a very fast grace note in music. His restraint on himself is 'crushed' against the crave that overcomes him, and that same 'restraint' takes up no value at all since he can't refrain his need whenever Marui's around.


	3. Affannato

**Response to reviews:** _sugarkitt_ _(Good thing you didn't hunt me down, or else I would've fled to another country. xD); frejahimitsu (An aggressive Niou is always a good Niou. *pats Niou's head* I think I need a camera to catch them making out. LOL.); lokica (I wonder what would've happened if Niou was the uke and Marui was the seme. Hehehe. Won't that be a pretty sight? xD); Lahdolphin (I don't think I'm exactly sane today, either. I just had a cup of coffee, couple of bars of chocolate, and lots of caffeine. xD); Tezzino (Thank you! ^^ And yes, Niou was fighting a losing battle, wasn't he? xD)_

**Author's Note:** _Gaaah! Sorry for the wait; I was so caught up in reading Hunger Games, Vampire Diaries The Return: Shadow Souls, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, To Kill a Mockingbird, Witch & Wizard, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Just imagine reading tons of books at the same time. xD

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_**"Dolce Con Amore"**_

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**_Affannato._**

"No . . ." Niou croaked, staring wide-eyed at the scene before him. He could not believe his eyes; no, he _did not_ want to believe everything he is seeing.

It was just too much.

"No!" Niou screamed in distress, running over to the scene as fast as he possibly could. He stopped in front of the dead body of a familiar redhead, dropping to his knees as he felt it weaken. _This . . . This can't be happening!_

Silent tears flowed on his now pale face, dripping on the blood-filled road like raindrops. His whole body trembled, head shaking in disbelief. Niou bit his lower lip until it bleeds, tasting the coppery liquid in his mouth.

Niou did not care the slightest bit on what would happen to him, as long as it was not _him_. This was . . . This were all lies! Something as tragic as this could not be happening!

"BUNTA!" he exclaimed in agony, gathering the cadaverous body of Marui Bunta in his arms, hugging him tightly to his chest. He felt weak, now that the most important person in his life had passed away.

Niou Masaharu's heart clenched in misery, staring at the anguished teen's bloodstained body. All he ever wanted was the two of them on a date after school, enjoying their lives to the fullest, but . . .

. . . but _this_ had occurred.

On the way to Marui's favourite ice cream parlour, there it happened.

Niou was looking straight ahead; he did not even spare a glance to his sides when he started crossing the road. He was happy—_too_ happy that he would be able to spend time with his beloved after the exhausting tennis practice they had with the other Regulars.

Marui had protected him.

"Masaharu, watch out!" Marui had yelled, dashing to the Trickster's side almost instantly. Niou had frozen in place, his feet stuck to the ground below as he stared in horror at the wild car driving to his general direction.

"MASAHARU!" Marui had screeched, pushing Niou out of the car's way.

Niou did not know what happened next, but all he heard were people screaming, _something_ colliding to the wall and that awful splat that came before it.

And there he saw it.

Marui Bunta's body parts were almost scattered on the road; his usually bright, venetian-red hair was now covered in blood, along with his once tanned skin. His ecru-coloured orbs was looking lifelessly at the dark skies above as though seeing absolutely _nothing_.

Niou wanted to cry there and then, no longer caring about his reputation. He'd damn that idiotic reputation of his and ignore everything if it means having Marui back. The redhead was his only treasure—the one person he had granted entrance to his icy heart.

But now . . . he was gone.

_"Poor kid!"_

_"What an unfortunate event . . ."_

_"He lost his life early . . ."_

_"This is terrible!"  
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Niou didn't care about those people. They didn't understand! Why would he even take their "sympathies" and "pities" into account? They . . . know _nothing_! They shouldn't be even looking at them like that; they weren't some sort of entertainment to pass their time! Taking pictures, whispering to their companions, pointing at them—they were all fools!

What they were doing wasn't helping him, at all. Instead of calling for an ambulance, they practically did absolutely _nothing_. Gossiping wouldn't bring Marui back to life.

And Niou hated them for that.


End file.
